Psychiatric Clinic
The Psychiatric Clinic diagnoses and treats acute and subacute mentaland behavioral disorders (conditions caused by the use of psychoactive substances [alcohol, drugs], anxiety disorders, and psychotic disorders). It also plays a major role in diagnosing and treating mental health disorders in children and adolescents and in helping families cope.
The Psychiatric Clinic at Viljandi Hospital provides both outpatient and inpatient psychiatric care for all age and diagnostic groups, and round-the-clock emergency care is guaranteed. The goal of the Psychiatric Clinic is to offer patients modern diagnostic options and the best evidence-based treatment interventions available in Estonia, while doing so flexibly, taking into account patients’ individual needs, characteristics, and wishes, and involving specialists from related fields as necessary. The Psychiatric Clinic emphasizes and promotes the principles of networking, both in the narrower sense of supporting families and loved ones, and in the broader sense of collaborating with and advising other professionals who work with patients (local government, education, social welfare, victim assistance, and others).
As a national service, the Psychiatry Clinic offers both inpatient and outpatient compulsory treatment and is the only facility outside of Tallinn and Tartu to provide inpatient child psychiatry care.
Inpatient Departments
- Acute Psychiatry Department
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department
- Compulsory Treatment Department
- General Psychiatry Department
- Tuberculosis Treatment Department
- Eating Disorders Department
Outpatient Department
- Outpatient Psychiatry Department
Services
- Alcohol Use Disorder Treatment Service
- Psychology Service
- Treatment Support Services
- Social Work
The idea to establish a modern psychiatric hospital did not come from the state or local government, but from a voluntary association.
In 1897, pharmacist Ewald von Debler opened the Marienhof Treatment and Care Facility for the Epileptic and Mentally Ill at the Marienhof Manor (covering 142 ha). The manor’s grounds were formed by merging three farms (Kaljapulga, Västriku, and Jämejala). One of the manor’s residential buildings, the so-called Immanuel single-story house, was converted into the hospital building. Over time, the place name Marienhof (Maarjamõis) was replaced by Jämejala.
By the end of 1897, there were eight patients at the hospital. Over the years, the number of mentally ill patients increased. Additional buildings were constructed; a building for male patients was completed in 1901, and a building for female patients in 1903. The number of staff also increased. By 1904, the number of patients had already reached 90. People of various nationalities—Estonians, Germans, and Latvians—were admitted. The cost of care was 500 rubles per year for Class I, 250 rubles for Class II, and 800–100 rubles for Class III.
The years of World War I proved to be a difficult period for Jämejala, as the care association fell apart and the hospital was left without support or a director. During the War of Independence, the wounded were admitted to the hospital; there was a shortage of food, and the patients were ravaged by epidemics. In 1923, the hospital was nationalized. The hospital was renamed the Jämejala Mental Hospital, a permanent director was appointed, and work began on expanding the facility. The old buildings were renovated, and a new treatment wing—the third building—was added; with its tower and elegant facade, it has become a symbol of Jämejala.
By the end of the Republic era, the hospital already had around 300 beds. World War II marked a low point in the hospital’s history, and the fires of 1949 and 1959 also had a devastating impact. In the 1960s, major construction and restoration work began. In 1967, the sixth treatment wing was completed, and the number of beds increased to 670—and even reached 760 in the early 1990s.
Even during the Soviet period, the Jämejala Republican Psychoneurological Hospital treated patients from all over Estonia. In addition to medication, occupational therapy continued to play a significant role in treatment. However, the physical therapy department, along with hydrotherapy, took on an increasingly important role.
Great attention was paid to work therapy even in the hospital’s early years. In the summer, patients participated in field and garden work. In the winter, however, they organized collections of old postage stamps that had been donated to the hospital. In 1958, the Viljandi Medical Secondary School’s auxiliary farm, consisting of three farms (Jaani, Kolupea, and Suuga), was merged with the Jämejala Hospital. The subsidiary farm became a work therapy base for patients with chronic mental illnesses, supplying the hospital with agricultural produce as well as meat and milk. At its peak, the hospital kitchen used produce from this farm to feed up to 1,000 people per year.
At the end of 2001, by order of the Government of the Republic, the Jämejala Psychiatric Hospital and the Viljandi County Hospital were merged into the unified Viljandi Hospital Foundation. When discussing the history of Jämejala Hospital, one cannot overlook the park surrounding the complex, which, with more than 100 species, is one of the largest in Viljandi County.
Mental Health Development- The goal of the mental health development and innovation team is to support the implementation of the psychiatric clinic’s strategic objectives by promoting innovative, evidence-based, and person-centered solutions in the development of mental health services. The team engages in development activities focused on translating strategic directions into substantive and implementable solutions.
Key areas of activity include improving mental health services and care pathways, participating in national and international projects, piloting new treatment methods and digital solutions, developing quality and work organization based on the service users’ experience, strengthening cooperation both within the hospital and with partner organizations, and designing spaces and environments that support health.
Services Offered:
- Translating strategic directions into practical work organization and service development
- Developing new mental health services
- Planning and implementing development projects
- Coordinating collaboration and communication
- Providing support for the development of spatial and technological solutions